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5 Alternatives to Black Friday Shopping

The thought of hitting the malls a day after
Thanksgiving is enough to make me want to crawl under a blanket and emerge at 12:01 a.m. the following Saturday. Me, plus throngs of people in a
store, simply don’t go together. I’ll happily pay more for an item on a
random Tuesday afternoon over the “thrill” of pushing through crowds to take
home a Black Friday bargain.

Luckily, there are options. Here are five was to occupy yourself the day after Thanksgiving, if you’re an anti-Black Friday-er
like me.

1. Catch a movie.

Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to catch up
on movies you’ve been too busy to watch. Lots of holiday movies get released
around this time, so you and your friends can be among the first to see a hot
new flick (rare for us moms!). As a bonus, you’ll be more in-the-know when the Oscars come
around in February.

What better time is there to remember those less fortunate
than the day after indulging in food extravagance? Your experience will be even
more meaningful if you do something food-related—serve dinner at a homeless
shelter, pack groceries at a food depository or make a meal for families
staying at a local Ronald McDonald House.

3. Clean out your junk.

In preparation for items you’ll accumulate over the holidays, use the day to clean out some older used items. It’ll make
you feel lighter physically and mentally, improve your feng shui and help you
make room for the new stuff.

4. Catch up with friends.

You can only do this if your friends are looking
for Black Friday alternatives like you. In the unfortunate case that they are
all on a shopping spree without you, consider Skyping, Facetiming or catching
up over the phone with your friends and relatives who live in countries where
Black Friday doesn’t exist.

It’s probably too late to book a vacation for the
December holidays that won’t cost you a small fortune. However, it’s a great
time to start dreaming about and planning where you want to go over spring
break or next summer.